The invention relates to a control device for a laboratory centrifuge, and more particularly to a laboratory centrifuge having a control panel which includes a display panel and switching devices for the operation of the centrifuge.
Laboratory centrifuges are used inter alia in the medicinal-pharmaceutical field for the treatment of mixtures of substances by centrifuging, if necessary in accordance with a particular treatment time and a particular temperature curve. Such centrifuges consist essentially of a housing which can be closed by a lid, and within which is arranged a replaceable rotor whose peripheral portion is arranged to receive receptacles which are likewise replaceable, and in which the mixtures of substances to be treated are placed. The rotor is connected to an electrical drive and the total system consisting of rotor and electric motor is arranged to be able to oscillate within the housing.
In dependence upon the inserted rotor as well as in dependence on the receptacles inserted into the rotor, different maximum speeds of rotation apply, which must be adhered to by monitoring the operation of the centrifuge. Additionally, in dependence upon the mixtures of substances to be treated, further requirements arise, for example in relation to the treatment time and the treatment temperature, which in the same way must be monitored. Consequently, data specific to the rotor, the receptacles and the mixtures of substances are entered into appropriate storage media of the control device of the laboratory centrifuge, from which, depending upon the absolute volume of the data to be entered and of the control functions to be activated or to be inactivated, costly setting procedures result, which make necessary a correspondingly equipped control panel for the control device. This is characterized as a consequence by a plurality of switch devices.
Again in dependence upon the complexity of the switching and entry devices for data and functions necessary in this connection, the operation of a laboratory centrifuge turns out to be comparatively complex, in particular its change over, for example to another treatment program, with the result that operating errors cannot be excluded.
A generic control device designed for use with a laboratory centrifuge is known for example from EP 0344453 A2. This is constructed as a microcomputer which is provided with a display panel and an input keyboard as well as further function keys by means of which operating parameters, program runs, etc. can be entered and can be stored in a storage device internal to the computer for the purpose of controlling the operations. The display panel is set up to display various operating functions, particularly to visualize inputted switching processes. For this it is essential that, in order to call up as well as to change, the course of operations of the laboratory centrifuge, namely to produce operating procedures appropriate to different materials to be handled, it is necessary to actuate a relatively large number of function keys, which brings with it the danger of operational errors and in any case a relatively costly training for the operator in order reliably to master the frequently complex setting procedures.